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Fort Morgan High School to get more Internet access points

E-Rate discounts on bulk technology order mean big savings for district, including on new middle school equipment

By Jenni Grubbs

Times Staff Writer

Posted:
11/04/2015 08:10:57 PM MST

Glossary

Here are the meanings of a couple terms used in this story:

Access point: In computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, or related standards. The access point typically connects to a router connected to a wired network The ones currently Re-3 School District buildings can be spotted as the flat, white squares on walls.

E-Rate: The schools and libraries universal service support program, commonly known as the E-rate program, helps schools and libraries obtain affordable broadband, according to fcc.gov. Schools apply for government funding, and then can get discounts through private contractors of 20 to 90 percent on various technology equipment. Discount amounts are based on the school's poverty level or whether it is in urban or rural areas.

Fort Morgan High School soon will have greater connectivity for students and their smartphones.

That will happen once many of the 258 access points the Morgan County Re-3 Board of Education approved purchasing are installed to go along with the existing ones.

"We're actually going to go into the high school, and every classroom will have an access point," District Technology Director Brian Amack told the school board. "(Nearly) all the high school-ers have cell phones. They need to be able to connect to different access points."

While the district has the Internet capacity for that traffic, it currently does not have the "access capacity," he explained.

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Even those with data-rich cell phone plans may not be able to connect in the high school, thanks to the building's construction and materials. The additional access points will fix that.

Included in the bulk access points purchase were extra ones for the new middle school, Amack said, along with 35 network switches for the new school.

The board also approved purchasing a total of 235 Chromebooks, which will be used throughout the district. The new laptop-style computers will be placed in carts that can move around in buildings, according to Amack.

"That's a huge increase into the classrooms," he said. "The other thing is it will speed up our testing," which is computer-based, "with more students at a time."

Overall, the board approved spending $50,856 on $179,640 worth of new technology items from Gertge Technology LLC of Fort Morgan. The lower cost was due to E-Rate funding discounts, according to Amack. Of the expenditure, $32,520 came out of the new middle school budget, with the rest coming from the district's new technology budget.

"It's a great deal for the new middle school," Amack said of the E-Rate discount and bulk purchase combined with the other district technology purchases.

Staying on top of the latest technology is an important thing for schools to do, Re-3 Superintendent Ron Echols said.

"We want our kids to have the same technology opportunities as anyone in the state," he said, "and we believe we're doing that."

The government's E-Rate discounts on the equipment offered a "great opportunity" for the district to get the upgrades needed now and for the future, Echols said.

Along with getting new tech equipment, the board also approved of disposing of old, outdated computers and related equipment.

"Three years' worth of equipment is being disposed," Amack reported. "It will be sent to a recycler in Denver who guaranteed it won't end up in China."

There's that much to get rid of at once due to expected demands on district technology staff next summer and fall for the new middle school, he explained.

The same is true of the large tech purchases.

"We changed the schedule this year," Amack said. "Over the summer, we bought two years at once, knowing we're going to be extremely busy next year."

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